Good news, Southland fans: It looks like the stories of Officer Ben Sherman’s professional free-fall and Det. Lydia Adams’ journey to juggle motherhood and case work won’t wind up as unsolved mysteries: TNT has renewed the gritty (oftentimes harrowing) L.A.-set police drama for a 10-episode fifth season.

“Season after season, critics and fans alike have championed TNT’s Southland as one of television’s best dramas. This year, the show has not only solidified its impassioned fan base, but also picked up some new young-adult devotees along the way,” Michael Wright, president and head of programming for TNT, TBS, said in a statement.

Southland this past season averaged more than 2.9 million total viewers when factoring in Live+7 DVR playback, while its delivery of Adults 18-49 grew three percent from Season 3.

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"Too bad she died, would have been an excellent companion." - Anubys

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I don’t, because when it a short and tight season the writers are force to something that very few of the writers seem to be able to do and that is write a story line.

I was not impressed with the writing of the post-NBC episodes, especially this last season. I was disappointed that the writers started including typical cop-show cliches like overcompensating female cop (Jessica Tang) and former good cop takes law into his own hands (Ben Sherman). You could almost see their boredom as they got near the end of the season, and the season finale just didn't have the punch I expected.

While the pieced-together Season 2 didn't make any sense overall, at least the individual episodes had skilled writing. If it takes 13 or more episodes per season to get that kind of quality scripting from the writers, so be it.

Season 2 was not pieced together. They filmed 7 episodes for season 1 on NBC. NBC picked it up for a second season, filmed 6 episodes, then changed their mind. TNT picked it up and aired the 7 episodes of season 1 then the 6 episodes of season 2.

There was no piecing together of season 2 from unaired footage.

__________________To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - billypritchard

I believe Season 2 was pieced together, because if you look at the season as a whole, the storyline makes no sense. For example, Lydia's partner Rene Cordero: where did he come from, and more importantly where did he go? He was literally there one day, gone the next day. Or, what was the deal with the funeral that Cooper and Sherman drove all the way to Palm Springs for?

There may have been six completed episodes "in the can" upon cancellation, but I don't think these six episodes are consecutive. There seems to be a lot of missing material.

I think you've complained about stuff like that before and I think that is just part of the show. This is not a serialized drama. There are some minor character stories that might persist, but things happen in the show and they don't hold out hand or explain everything. Lydia had three partners in 6 episodes in season 2, there didn't need to be a ton of exposition about that.

Why did there have to be a "deal" with the funeral? They attended a funeral of an officer Cooper knew. What more is there?

There is zero evidence that season 2 was in any way unscripted, unplanned, out of sequence or cobbled together. I'm happy to rethink that if there's evidence to the contrary.

__________________To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - billypritchard

I think you've complained about stuff like that before and I think that is just part of the show. This is not a serialized drama. There are some minor character stories that might persist, but things happen in the show and they don't hold out hand or explain everything. Lydia had three partners in 6 episodes in season 2, there didn't need to be a ton of exposition about that.

Why did there have to be a "deal" with the funeral? They attended a funeral of an officer Cooper knew. What more is there?

There is zero evidence that season 2 was in any way unscripted, unplanned, out of sequence or cobbled together. I'm happy to rethink that if there's evidence to the contrary.

Maybe because I've been to actual cop funerals but I picked up on things in that scene that perhaps nobody else did.

For one thing, there were relatively few cops in attendance. Normally, a line of duty death will attract hundreds, if not thousands, of police officers. So, the first thing on my mind was that this was NOT a line of duty death, but perhaps a suicide?

Then the supposed widow who spoke with John...she didn't seem nearly as upset as one of the deputies there, who was just about inconsolable. Now if he had just watched his partner die in front of him, I can see this. But, the clue I mentioned above seems to indicate this was not a line of duty death. So what did happen to that officer?

It seemed to me the funeral scene was part of a bigger plot that never got aired due to it being suddenly cancelled. For example, perhaps John had a sexual relationship with the deceased officer, and the inconsolable deputy was his current lover?

As far as Lydia's partners, given how Season 1 paid attention to the details of a typical good police partnership (between her and Russell), this new "revolving door" attitude in Season 2 towards Russell's replacements seems rather sloppy. Season 3 did a lot better job exploring Lydia's relationship with Det. Josie Ochoa, so I'm inclined to believe it's not sloppy writing.

As far as Southland not being a serialized drama, I disagree with you. Season 1 had a tight storyline from the opening scene when Sherman kills the gangbanger who tried to kill Dewey, to the very last scene when Russell had been shot by his neighbor when he tried to intervene in a domestic violence incident. There were no disconnected plot threads in that season.

If you want to claim that season 2 was sloppy, that's a different, and better, argument than trying to say that it wasn't scripted or that it was pieced together.

I disagree but I'm not going to argue against it as that it your opinion. I'm just arguing against saying that the show wasn't scripted or that it was cobbled together from leftover film or something silly like that.

__________________To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. - billypritchard

Based upon what I have seen for the seasons on either side of it, I would say that Season 2 was probably cobbled together. The writers' standards started to slip in Season 3, but at least that season's storyline made more sense.

But neither of us work in the movie industry, so my guess is just as valid as yours.